Spalletti: Kondogbia’s been given ‘bad advice’

Luciano Spalletti has again slammed Valencia target Geoffrey Kondogbia, saying that the player's behaviour is at odds with the person he's come to know at the San Siro.

Speaking to reporters after his side's 1 – 0 friendly win over Real Betis on Saturday, the former Roma boss had strong words for debutant left-back Dalbert, whom he felt had a less-than-spectacular debut after his €20m move from OGC Nice.

“He is young, he wants to immediately make an impact and show his qualities," Spalletti said. "But he got the first two or three moves wrong and then lost his confidence, misplacing passes and feeling less free to play his game. He should relax and focus. He did well defensively.

“We need to improve our passing and possession, as when we did win it back, there were spaces that we didn’t take advantage of. There were a few errors that I don’t expect from my team," he added.

However, the Italian saved the bulk of his ire for the wantaway Kondogbia, who withdrew from training on Friday after news broke that La Liga club Valencia were planning on making an offer for his services along with that of Jeison Murillo.

“Kondogbia has been very disappointing and his behaviour does not reflect the person we know. He is damaging himself with this behaviour," the veteran coach stated.

“He wants to go to Valencia on loan and save a bit on his wages, but he wants it too easy. When there is something you don’t agree on, you find a middle ground. Considering the money spent on him, it’s difficult.

“In my view, Kondogbia was given some bad advice, as this sort of attitude is just not part of his personality," Spalletti added.